This invention relates to an apparatus for spin-cleaning slender paint brushes, and more particularly to an attachment for a rotary power-driven tool for spin-cleaning an elongated, slender paint brush perpendicular to its rotary axis. Heretofore, artist's paint brushes and stencil brushes, hereinafter referred to as slender paint brushes, as opposed to larger house paint brushes, have been cleaned manually. When the artist is through painting with his brush, the brush is dipped or soaked in a brush cleaning solvent. After a period of time, the brush is removed and the paint residue worked out by any conventional methods, such as by combing, then the brush is allowed to dry. When sufficient paint residue is not removed, the process may be repeated.
Spin-cleaning of large house paint brushes by the use of rotary power equipment for rotating the paint brushes to remove paint and to dry the brushes by centrifugal force is also known, as shown the following patents:
______________________________________ 2,519,259 Liebman Aug. 15, 1950 2,832,156 Johnson Apr. 29, 1958 2,873,463 Nunes Feb. 17, 1959 2,931,661 Harris Apr. 5, 1960 3,252,174 Schoepske, Jr. May 24, 1966 3,399,463 Stott Sep. 3, 1968 ______________________________________
German Patent No. 2,022,788 Nov. 25, 1971
The Liebman patent discloses a brush cleaning apparatus for a plurality of paint brushes circumferentially spaced and radially mounted about a rotary shaft.
Nunes, Harris, Stott, and the German patent, each discloses a single paint brush supported upon a power-driven tool for rotary movement about an axis coincidental with the longitudinal axis of the paint brush or handle.
Johnson and Schoepske, Jr. disclose an individual paint brush supported for rotary movement about an axis perpendicular to the paint brush handle and secured to a drive member, such as an electric motor or power drill. The Johnson patent discloses an encompassing and adjustable clamp member for gripping the head of a house paint brush for support for rotary movement, while the Schoepske, Jr. patent discloses a drive spindle fitting into a hole formed in the handle of the paint brush.
The following U.S. patents disclose various types of tool holders including a V-shaped notch or recess for receiving an elongated portion of a tool and a cooperating clamp member for holding the tool in the V-shaped recess:
______________________________________ 1,615,488 Schleicher Jan. 25, 1927 1,816,723 Dunoyer July 28, 1931 2,472,040 Brookfield May 31, 1949 ______________________________________
The Schleicher and Dunoyer patents disclose an elongated tool clamped in a V-shaped recess by a flexible looped member. FIGS. 2 and 2a of Dunoyer disclose an elongated, cylindrical object supported in a V-shaped recess by a flexible ribbon, with slot means for receiving the ribbon. both Schleicher and Dunoyer are provided with tensioning means for tensioning one end of the flexible clamping member.
All of the above patents, Schleicher, Dunoyer and Brookfield are designed for supporting a tool in a stationary position, and are not designed for rapid rotation about an elongated rotary axis, much less provided with means for attachment to a rotary drive member such as the chuck of a power drill.